Tag: plymouth marjon

bere alston v Plymouth marjon

The Premier Cup Gets Underway on Saturday

Article and photo by Tom Besford.

It is County Cup week and this means that ten of our sixteen clubs are in Devon Premier Cup action as they begin their cup runs all hoping to reach the final in May. Beer Albion are the current holders of the trophy following a 3-1 victory against Park United in last season’s showpiece.

Alphington v Totnes & Dartington:

The hosts come into this game on the back of their first defeat this season as they lost 3-2 at home against Appledore on Saturday but will feel confident against South Devon League Premier Division side Totnes & Dartington. The visitors have won three and drawn one of their opening five fixtures in the league below as they currently sit third in their division. This will only be the second away match of the season for Totnes & Dartington whilst Alphington host their fifth home game in their last six matches! The two clubs have history as they regularly met in the South West Peninsula League Division One East and Totnes & Dartington were victorious on the last meeting as they won 3-1 away in February 2017.

Beesands Rovers v Newtown:

South Devon League Premier Division side Beesands Rovers have struggled so far this season and currently find themselves bottom of their division with four defeats from four games, they host a Newtown side who have had plenty of match action this season having already played twelve games. Newtown have only won three of their opening twelve so will be looking at their cup fixture against lower opposition as a welcome distraction. This is the first competitive fixture between the two sides who will both be looking for a win to kick start their season.

Bere Alston United v Plymouth Eco:

The hosts are bottom of the Devon League with just two points from their opening eight games and they will be hoping for a confidence boosting win against lower opposition to help with their league form. Their opponents haven’t had a great start to the season either as they have just two wins from nine matches in the Plymouth & West Devon Football League. The visitors have scored twenty and conceded twenty in their last five matches so supporters in attendance can expect goals.

Budleigh Salterton v Kingsteignton Athletic:

The hosts have won four and lost six of their opening ten games and they face a tough match at home against a Kingsteignton Athletic side who caused one of the biggest shocks of the tournament last season as they knocked out Appledore. It has been a tough start to the season for the South Devon League Premier Division visitors who are yet to win a league game this season and have played every match away from home. The Rams have lost two of their matches 3-1 whilst losing the other matches 3-2 so they will be hoping for that bit of luck to get their first win of the season. Three of Budleigh’s four wins so far this season have come at home and it is proving a tough place to visit.

Princerock FC v North Molton SC

North Molton SC have had a slow start to the new season with only one win and a draw from their opening nine matches and they face a long trip to visit a Plymouth & West Devon League opponent who they have never met before. The hosts are mid-table in their division but have lost their last two matches coming into this 6-0 at Signal Box Oak Villa and 4-3 at home against Plymouth Hope. This will be North Molton SC’s first trip to Plymouth this season and their longest trip so far, the club have struggled on their travels and have only picked up three points on the road.

Elmore v Buckfastleigh Rangers:

Last season Elmore were beaten 2-1 at home against lower league opponents in the first round of the Devon Premier Cup when North Devon League Premier Division side Boca Seniors were victorious at Horsdon Park. The Eagles will be hoping to avoid a similar banana skin as they host South Devon League Premier Division side Buckfastleigh Rangers. Elmore have had a strong start to the season and find themselves fourth with nineteen points, winning six of their opening ten games. For their visitors, this is their first away game of the season following five consecutive home games which has ended in two wins and three defeats.

Ipplepen Athletic v Beer Albion:

The only fixture in this round of the Devon Premier Cup featuring two clubs from the Devon Football League as hosts Ipplepen come into this on the back of a ThirstFitness League Cup victory on penalties just seven days prior. The hosts have struggled for league form with just one win in their opening eight which came on the road at Dartmouth. Beer Albion have had a better start to the campaign with five wins from their first nine but come into this match having lost two of their last three games in all competitions. The two sides are yet to meet in the league this season but shared three points each last season in their matches between each other as Beer won 6-0 away and lost 3-1 at home.

St Martins v Ottery St Mary:

Former Devon League side St Martins welcome Ottery St Mary to Minster Park hoping to pull off a cup shock but they will have their work cut out against an Ottery side who have had a good start to the new season. The Devon & Exeter League Premier Division side sit bottom of their league with four defeats from four games but they won 6-2 in the East Devon Senior Cup two weeks ago against Central. The Otters enjoyed success in the league cup just seven days prior as they beat Plymstock United and they will be hoping for back to back victories in cup competitions.

Waldon Athletic v Thorverton:

South Devon League Premier Division side Waldon Athletic have had a fantastic start to the season as they come into this game with a 100% league record having won their opening five games. Thorverton are the visitors to Windmill Hill on Saturday and they have enjoyed their own successful start to the season with three wins and three draws from their opening nine games, however, Thorverton come into this game on the back of defeat on penalties at Ipplepen Athletic in the ThirstFitness League Cup last Saturday.

Dartmouth v University Of Exeter:

One of two league games due to both clubs receiving a bye in the first round of the Devon Premier Cup and a quick turnaround from last Saturday when the reverse league fixture was played, University winning 4-1 on that occasion. University of Exeter come into this match on a four game winning run which has seen them scoring twenty three goals and conceding just one, against Dartmouth last Saturday. The hosts have had a mixed bag of results so far this season and have lost two of their five home games but they will be hoping for a quick revenge on their opponents.

Plymstock United v Topsham Town:

The second league game of the day between two sides who have to wait until the next round to start their Devon Premier Cup run. Both Plymstock United and Topsham Town have already met in the league this season as Topsham won 4-0 in August and the hosts will be looking for revenge as they aim to win just their second game of the season, winning their last match 4-2 at home against Newtown. Visitors Topsham Town currently find themselves third with six wins from their opening nine and will be hoping to take advantage of the top two not in action to close the gap at the top of the table.

bere alston united v plymouth marjon

League Champs Get Their Season Underway in Another Busy Week

Photos © Tom Besford

It is another busy week in the A&S Interiors Devon Football League this week as all but three teams play which includes University of Exeter playing their first league game of the season.

Dartmouth, Ipplepen Athletic and Budleigh Salterton are all without a game. The games continue to come thick and fast in August as the league table slowly starts to take shape, two teams remain unbeaten whilst three clubs remain winless, it’s proving to be a competitive division already.

Appledore v University of Exeter:

Last season’s champions University of Exeter start their new season with a tough match on the road at last season’s runners up Appledore in what will be a competitive and entertaining match. Appledore won the home fixture 2-0 last season whilst University won their home match 3-0 as the two teams battled it out at the top of the table for the majority of the campaign. The hosts have won two and lost one of their opening three fixtures this season but come into this match on the back of a 2-1 local derby victory against North Molton SC in midweek.

Beer Albion v Alphington:

Alphington have adapted to life back in the Devon Football League extremely well and are the only team with a 100% record having won all four of their opening games. The Alphas’ 100% record was put to the test on Tuesday night as they needed to come from behind with ten men to secure victory at Ipplepen but two goals from Jack Furzer helped the Alphas to the points. Beer Albion have won two and lost one prior to this game and had to work hard in midweek to pick up the points against an Ottery St Mary side who never gave up. This will be the first league meeting between the two sides since the 1991/1992 season when both clubs featured in the Devon & Exeter League Premier Division.

Bere Alston United v Newtown:

These two sides come into this game in contrasting form as Bere Alston United have lost their last two whilst Newtown are unbeaten in their last three league matches. Bere Alston won this fixture 2-1 last season and with the return game finishing in a 1-1 draw, Newtown will be hoping to pick up their first league win against Bere Alston at the third time of asking. Both clubs have visited Thorverton in the last week as Bere Alston lost 2-1 on Saturday whilst Newtown battled hard for a 3-2 win in midweek. The hosts will be hoping to recover from a heavy midweek defeat against Plymouth Marjon.

Elmore v Plymstock United:

It has been a week of mixed results for an Elmore side who have started the season strongly, a fantastic 4-1 home win against Dartmouth on Saturday grabbed the attention of most local football fans but this was followed by a midweek loss at home against Topsham Town. Their opponents Plymstock United have struggled a bit so far this season with three defeats in their opening three games before winning 4-0 at Lakeside Athletic in midweek. Plymstock United have never beaten Elmore in a league game with the Eagles winning both matches last season 4-1 and 3-2.

Lakeside Athletic v Topsham Town:

It has been a tough opening few games for Lakeside Athletic who have lost all three of their games so far this season and sit bottom of the division. Their opponents Topsham Town are enjoying some fantastic form at the moment and have won their last three games, all without conceding as well. Lakeside won both fixtures last season 4-1 and 3-2 and so Topsham Town will be hoping it will be third time lucky and win a league game against Lakeside for the first time.

North Molton SC v Thorverton:

This will be the first away game of the season for Thorverton who have played their first four games at home with one win and one draw alongside two defeats, including a 3-2 loss against Newtown in midweek. The hosts are yet to get going this season and have lost both of their opening games, a 3-1 home loss to Alphington followed by a 2-1 defeat at Appledore midweek. Thorverton won both fixtures last season but lost both games during the 22/23 season.

Plymouth Marjon v Ottery St Mary:

Plymouth Marjon hit six without return in midweek at Bere Alston and look like a strong team in the division already as they remain unbeaten after four games. Marjon don’t seem to be shy in front of goal and have so far scored eighteen goals in their first four. Ottery St Mary worked hard in midweek at Beer Albion but ultimately returned home with no points to show for their efforts. One win, draw and loss from the opening three for Ottery who will be hoping for a better season than last year. Ottery were unbeaten in the league against Plymouth Marjon last season drawing 1-1 at home and winning 4-3 away, however, a second trip to Plymouth in the ThirstFitness League Cup ended in a 5-1 defeat.

bere alston v plymouth marjon

Second Half Goal Blitz for Marjon at Bere Alston

Match report and photos by Tom Besford

Plymouth Marjon are on fine form this season and came into this match at Bere Alston United looking to add to their already impressive goal tally against a home side who were looking to bounce back following defeat on the road at the weekend.

It was a real game of two halves in South Devon but an entertaining game for those in attendance on a chilly Tuesday evening in August.

Both teams started brightly playing quick attacking football and it didn’t take long for the deadlock to be broken as Plymouth Marjon took the lead after just seven minutes. A low cross from the right by James Bridges found Lee Coxon at the far post who had the simplest of tasks with tapping the ball into the back of an empty net.

The home side played some good attacking football as they looked to get back into the game but the final ball just seemed to be lacking with the attack often petering out and resulting in a goal kick to Plymouth Marjon. The visitors were still searching for a second goal of their own which led to an end to end game and Liam Donovan struck a shot on the turn which was fumbled by Michael Moore in the home goal but he was quick to react to gather the ball and prevent any further danger.

The best chance the home side had in the first half came in the last ten minutes as Jak Plummer got the better of the visiting defence before hitting a shot low towards the corner, however, Dom Richards was equal to it and managed to push the ball out for a corner.

The second half was less than a minute old and Marjon should’ve doubled the lead when Donovan squared the ball across goal to Coxon who fired over the bar from inside the six yard box, a chance which looked easier to score.

The visitors didn’t have to wait much longer to double their lead as two goals came in quick succession within the first six minutes of the half. Firstly Coxon turned provider as he played a far post cross for Donovan to fire home before Donovan added another moments later as got on the end of a ball from Jake Anderson.

What was already a hard task for Bere Alston had become even harder within a blink of an eye and they now had to come back from 3-0 down. The home team showed good spirit and never gave up as they looked for a way back into the game. Harry Eaton came close to starting a come back as he shot from the edge of the box but Richards pulled off a great save to tip the ball over the bar for a corner.

The game was pretty much confirmed as over as a contest moments later as Donovan completed his hat-trick in fantastic fashion. Thirty yards out, the Marjon front man saw the home keeper stranded off his line and sent the ball over his head and into the back of the net, a goal that will live long in the strikers memory.

With just over quarter of an hour to play Bere knew luck was against them as Ryan Brimacombe hit a fantastic shot from the edge of the box leaving Richards with no chance of saving but could only watch as his shot cannoned off the post and back into play.

As the game drew towards a close Plymouth Marjon found time to add two more goals as George Warren tucked a penalty into the bottom left corner before Connor Trewin caught the home keeper in possession of the ball before rounding him and finishing into an empty net.

Plymouth Marjon will be a tough team to beat this season with their quick attacking football and they are already show they are capable of scoring goals this season, as for Bere Alston United, their attacking football will cause problems for several teams and they were unlucky not to score on the night.

Bere Alston United team: Michael Moore, Ryan Moorhead, Tom Martin, Robbie Court, Josh Monk, Ryan Brimacombe, Callum Massey, Ben Clarke, Jak Plummer, Harry Eaton, Jordan Williams

Subs: Connor Johnson, Darren Phillips, Liam Wheeler, Soul Pengelley, Theo Standing

Plymouth Marjon team: Dom Richards, James Bridges, Tom Wakeham, Mitch Hosking, Luke Suttcliffe, George Warren, Lewis Jago, Adam Smietanka, Liam Donovan, Jake Anderson, Harvey Tomlinson

Subs: Ben Jenkins, Lee Coxon, Ryan Dawe, Connor Trewin, Liam Tylor